Tag Archives: almond butter

When I woke up this morning I was HANGRY (despite my late-night noshing..almond butter, anyone?). So, I started my morning with this GLORIOUS bowl of oats. Nom nom nom.

Into the pot went:

oats

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

an itty bitty banana

mixed up with Vega Sport vanilla protein powder (after cooking)

topped with: almond buttah and LOTS of berries. I was craving them, can you tell?

Roooooarrr I love how green the Vega makes my oats:) It’s like a pop of color in my morning!

Thankfully, it’s a beauuutiful sunny day! It makes up for the obnoxious amount of work I have to do today.

The view out my window.

I’m too lazy to go outside in the freezing cold first thing in the morning;)

During breakfast, I read another two chapters or so of Crazy Sexy Diet. I’m addicted! It is SO good, and it’s encouraging me to try out more raw foods. Did I mention that Kris Karr is hilarious? I love a girl with spunk!

I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a healthier life, being vegetarian, vegan, raw, preventing disease, or trying to cure disease.

Slash I recommend this book to EVERYONE. It’s like The China Study in layman’s terms, which is what our country (and our world) needs.

Did you know more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese? The stats are even scarier for kids under the age of FIVE. Something needs to be done. Kris to the rescue! 🙂

Since my wisdom teeth have been KILLING me as of late (I’ve been needing to get them out for, what, 2 months now?), I’ve been up on the ibuprofen. I woke up at 4am to drilling pain in my mouth and sprinted downstairs to get the bottle.

The on-call surgeon offered to prescribe me narcotics but I didn’t want to get loopy. Instead, he’s letting me up the ibuprofen and add Tylenol, but I’m just sticking with the regular dose of the ‘profen. Less chemicals in my body = the better.

So, oatmeal, quinoa flakes, and soft fruit have been my food of choice. And sweet potaters. I can never get enough;)

Last night I tried to make a pizza-like quinoa flakes combo, but it tasted AWFUL. I added nooch, tomato paste, and italian seasoning, hoping for a pizza-like flavor.

That’s avocado and beans for healthy fats + more protein. I was sad when all of the ‘cado was covered in my nasty concoction. Boooo, at least that was most of what I scarfed down!

To make up for my experiment, I cooked up another pot of quinoa flakes and added my mama’s pear-sauce, raisins, and beans. Ahhh, much better:)

Before that, I took an AMAZING spin class. I’m addicted to spinning, and it’s been my favorite group class along with Body Pump since last year. The teacher was adorable, must have been in her fifties or sixties, and she was a POWERHOUSE. From a little lady, you would not expect such spunk. Love it.

If you haven’t tried spinning yet, I highly recommend it! It’s so much fun, and it makes me feel like supawomannnnn;)

That’s all for now! Time for me to go to church:) Today’s a rest day (at least that’s the plan), and I didn’t bother to shower this morning. At least I did my makeup and put on a cute oufit, right? Sorry God, it’s not you, it’s me.

On another note, one of my New Year’s rezzies is to improve my relationship with God. During this trying time, I’ve been finding a lot of comfort in prayer and in the prayers of others. I’m hoping to read the Bible this year, from cover to cover:)

Have you had your wisdom teeth out? How did you deal with the pain? Slash did you do anything funny after the surgery (vicodin ha)?

I better do something funny. I told my sister to videotape me. Expect a hilarious video a few weeks from now:)

MOTHER NATURE:

Us girls (sorry fellas, this is not quite tailored to you) have the joy of receiving Mother Nature’s monthly “gift” on a regular, much-dreaded basis. My gift got dropped off a couple of days ago (I apologize for the potential TMI), and I’m feeling the brunt of it. We’re talking bloaty, swollen, and tired. Wooo! The one part of nature I wish I could do away with.

So, I’ve been getting my sleep and exercising regularly to keep the crampies away – success! One thing that I’ve noticed really helps are herbal teas with cinnamon, licorice, and ginger (Yogi Tea brand‘s detox tea is great for this!). They help to de-puff and de-bloat, making you and your jeans a little happier. Hallelujah for herbs!

Also, healthy fats (such as those from avocados and nuts) really help to ward off mood swings, fatigue, and cramps. A little extra sleep never hurt, either 🙂

Don’t be tempted to reach for the pain reliever – your body doesn’t need chemicals messing with it. Instead, reach for herbs, your workout clothes, and use your opportunity to have some extra avocado on your salad. Work with nature to keep it from interfering in your life – don’t fight back with sissy pills!

DINNER:

Anywho, onto food! I’ve been super busy and oddly fatigued (hmm, Mother Nature, did you have something to do with that?), so you will be seeing 4 meals – 1 brekkie, 1 lunch, and 2 dinners. Hooray!

Wednesday night, I had some leftover quinoa (but not enough for the whole fam), so I decided to experiment and make my own burgers. They turned out delish, and were super healthy to boot! Loaded with protein-packedquinoa and lentils, these suckers filled me right up and kept me full through the night. The fam didn’t think they were too shabby, either 🙂

Slight camera fail - does not do them justice

Lentil-Quinoa Burgers

Makes 6

Ingredients:

1.5 cups cooked lentils

1.5 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

thyme

oregano

nutmeg

sea salt + pepper to taste

2 tbsp. tomato paste or ketchup (I roll with tomato paste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until no whole lentils are left.

Using your hands, shape into burger-like patties and place on a lightly EVOO’d baking sheet.

Place in the oven for about 40 minutes, carefully flipping burgers every 10 minutes and spraying a little EVOO on the sheet (or drizzle a tiny bit).

Once they are browned, allow them to firm up for about half an hour and then reheat in a skillet with some EVOO over medium heat, flipping every 2 minutes until warmed thoroughly and crispy.

Serve alone or on a bun with some baby spinach, tomato, some vegan mayo, ketchup, and enjoy! 🙂

THE TAO OF BREAKFAST:

Now, onto breakfast! After my butt-kicking workout, it was exactly what I needed. This breakfast was delicious, A. Because it had a plum, and I LOVE plums! and B. Because it had almond butter in it. Period. Actually, almond buttah should probably get the prime “A” spot, just because nothing beats almond buttah. Nothing.

Creamy Buckwheat with a plum, bluebs, and blackberries. Oh, and a giant jar of almond buttah!

All mixed up 🙂

Oh, and a giant dollop of almond buttah.

If you’re skeptical as to what kind of crazy person would put almond butter (or any nut butter for that matter) on her breakfast, think again. Healthy fats first thing in the morning are exactly what your body needs to burn fat throughout the day, speed up your metabolism, and keep you full (EDIT: You can read more about healthy fats here). Don’t believe me? Check out this site. This lady is the greatest. She hit the importance of breakfast right on the nose; so well, in fact, I’ll have to quote her:

YOU AND BREAKFAST!

It’s a natural thought. Less food in your belly means more room in your waistband, right? Think again. New research shows that skirting the ritual of a morning meal can totally sabotage your waistline by setting you up for minimal calorie burn and a bigger appetite throughout the day.

How many days within the past week did you eat breakfast? Here are some fun facts for you:

Over 90% of people agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and 75% believe eating breakfast will give them more energy, but fewer than 50% fit it in seven days a week. What is the deal?(Source: Cynthia Sass, Registered Dietitian)

Eating breakfast every day is vital for a number of reasons. Breakfast skippers are four and a half times more likely to be overweight, and studies show that people who eat breakfast naturally eat fewer calories all day. Plus not only does our body need fuel but so does our brain.

Many people say they are just not hungry first thing in the morning or they just have not time. I will never understand how someone is not hungry in the morning! If this is you, it is a big clue that you have a slower metabolism and I am here to help. If you struggle with breakfast barriers, here are my suggestions for knocking them down.

Step one: Try to stop eating late at night.

If you’re not hungry in the am: re-train your body. Start by eating or drinking something small, like a handful size serving of nuts or a piece of fruit.

After about a week, add something else, like your choice of milk or a smoothie.

The following week, add a third item, like a banana.

Within a month’s time, strive for a balanced breakfast that contains four parts:

If you really are still struggling with the idea of a full meal at this point, you can split it up into two smaller meals. Eat half at home before you leave, then one to two hours later, enjoy the other half.

In no time you will not only feel more energized but you will have created a faster metabolism. If you start the day off right, you will most likely make better choices throughout. Give it a try!“

Not convinced? Try it out for two weeks and see if there’s a difference. I guarantee you’ll feel a million times better – how do I know this? Because I’m living proof. As someone who used to eat only fruit for breakfast (and not until I was starving), I’ve felt my vitality go from zero to hero in a matter of days. Morning workouts are easier, especially with the promise of a nourishing breakfast awaiting me, as well as having more energy throughout the day. Now, doesn’t that sound dandy?

That’s all for tonight, more pictures and recipes in the morning! It’s time for me to go read some VegNews 🙂

After my morning workout (20 mins running, stretching, abs, arm weights), I whipped up the most delicious brekkie I’ve had in a hot long time:

It ain’t very pretty, but it was delicious, let me tell you. Gluten-free rolled oats with a ton of cinnamon, a chopped up cameo apple (my favorite apple), and a giant spoonful of crunchy almond butter. Mmmm 🙂

Now, mind you, I was an almond butter virgin until this morning. I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to try it! So I did.

The goods.

It was amazing. I licked every last bit off of the spoon from the jar. And it was great in the oatmeal! I think I’ll start adding some almond buttah to my morning oaties 🙂 I didn’t completely enjoy the ton of apple in my oats though..I think from now on I’ll stick with big fruit on the side, and tiny chopped or dried fruits in my oats. I like mine creamy, not with giant chunks! So I ended up eating all of the apple pieces first, and then my precious oaties. Delish.

I ate every last bite.

Success 🙂

So for all of you almond buttah lovahs, some food porn:

Hungry yet? I am 😉

Backtracking a little bit, I got to read some of Chi Running before beddie bye last night. It’s different from all of the running books that are super serious and talk about it like it’s a science – which it is, in many senses – but I prefer the style of this book. It’s much more laid-back, conceptual, and tangible to fit everyone’s fitness and skill levels. I guess that’s what puts the Chi in Chi Running 🙂

This guy is also an ultramarathoner who’s crazy good at what he does, training athletes and doing T’ai Chi while he’s at it. No, this guy doesn’t do crazy weight training, cross-training, or Body Pump. He runs and does T’ai Chi. This guy might have the key to the universe.

I’ve begun to really enjoy running, an activity that I used to grind my teeth through and continuously think to myself, One more mile, Katelyn, just one more minute…just 100 more calories and then you can be done. It was all about calories, mileage, and making sure I always ran exactly an hour and 15 minutes.

Now, I run with my body. If my body needs a break, I’ll walk for a minute. If I’m thirsty, I’ll take a sip. If my lungs are working too hard, I slow down a bit. If I wake up one day and feel like I need a day off, I’ll take it.

Because I don’t feel guilty anymore.

It’s a beautiful feeling. I’ve come to just enjoy getting up early when the house is quiet, enjoying some fresh water while I check my email and read blogs, and then enjoying the feeling of waking myself up with some running and the Today show (and I’ll admit, Sesame Street and Arthur some days 🙂 ).

I always leave my run feeling awake, refreshed, energized, and ready for a yummy, hearty brekkie 🙂 There’s no better feeling in the world.

Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on working out, break days, and guilt?

Hi!

Chef Katelyn is a blog dedicated to the lifestyle of finding health, happiness, and inner peace through eating, exercising, and living well. I believe that what we put into our bodies, how we use them, and how we choose to enrich our lives directly effect our health mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you find some this balance with me while I continue my journey every day :)